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Abstract:

A pallet assembly for use in simultaneously printing multiple articles of
manufacture. The assembly includes a pallet having a support surface, a
carrier mountable onto the pallet and conforming with the pallet surface
features (e.g., individual article of manufacture platforms) such that
individual articles of manufacture may be place on the support surface(s)
of the pallet yet the carrier substantially covers the remaining areas of
the top surface of the pallet to protect the pallet from unintentional
application of ink by the printer. The carrier also includes supports
which allow a carrier loaded with articles of manufacture to be lifted
off of the pallet and carried away for further processing. The assembly
may also include a positioner which is mountable over the carrier on the
pallet. The positioner operates as a jig for aligning each of the
articles of manufacture in proper position on the support surface of the
pallet.

Claims:

1. A pallet assembly for supporting printing of multiple articles of
manufacture by a printer, the pallet comprising: a pallet having a
support surface for supporting multiple articles of manufacture; a
carrier having a plurality of designated positions for placement of
multiple articles of manufacture such that print areas on the multiple
articles of manufacture are exposed for printing by the printer; and and
at least one alignment mechanism which aligns the carrier in a
predetermined position relative to the pallet when the carrier is placed
onto the pallet.

2. The pallet assembly of claim 1, comprising: a positioner comprising a
body having a plurality of apertures that substantially conform to the
size and shape of each of the articles of manufacture to be placed onto
the carrier; wherein the at least one alignment mechanism aligns the
positioner in a predetermined position relative to the carrier when the
positioner is placed on top of the carrier.

Description:

RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No.
12/371,830, filed Oct. 9, 2012, and issuing as U.S. Pat. No. 8,281,715.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] This invention relates to printing of images onto articles of
manufacture, and more particularly to a novel pallet with carrier and
positioner for simultaneously printing images onto multiple articles of
manufacture, and associated techniques for combining individual images to
be printed onto respective articles of manufacture loaded on the novel
pallet into a single print file for simultaneous printing onto the
multiple articles of manufacture by a printer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Various methods of direct printing of images or graphic designs
onto textiles and various other non-paper substrates exist. In the
industrial setting, an article on which an image is to be printed, for
example an item of apparel such as a t-shirt, is typically loaded and
secured onto a pallet such that the print surface of the article is
secured in place. Typical industrial printers are designed for processing
and printing only a single image file at a time. Consequently, prior art
pallets have been designed for printing on a single substrate (e.g., a
single sheet of paper, foam, fabric, etc.) at a time. Industrial
printers, however, typically allow for a large print area. For example,
an industrial printer may be configured to print an image of a square
meter or more. However, oftentimes the article of manufacture to be
printed on is much smaller than the print area that the printer is
capable of printing, and thus much of the total print time is spent in
loading the article onto the printer pallet and subsequently removing it
from the pallet after the printing is complete. It would therefore be
desirable to load multiple smaller articles onto a pallet and have the
printer print respective desired images onto each of the loaded articles
of manufacture during the printing of a single print file in order to
reduce the total amount of time spent in loading and unloading the
articles of manufacture from the printer pallet.

[0004] One difficulty in simultaneously printing multiple articles of
manufacture that fit within the print area that the printer is capable of
printing is the complexity involved in precisely positioning the articles
of manufacture such that the respective image printed on each of the
respective articles of manufacture is accurately aligned on the articles
of manufacture in the precise position on the article of manufacture that
the image is supposed to appear. Any misalignment of an article of
manufacture on the printer pallet results in misplacement of the image on
the article of manufacture, and can also result in the application of ink
on areas of the article of manufacture and/or pallet where ink should not
be. Residual ink on the pallet due to ink overspray from misalignment of
the articles of manufacture can result in the transfer of ink or ink dust
to subsequent items placed on the pallet.

[0005] Another reason that multiple items are typically not simultaneously
printed is the complexity of instructing the printer exactly where to
print each image on each article of manufacture on the pallet. As
previously mentioned, printers generally print one image file at a time.
Thus, to print multiple items simultaneously, each respective image to be
printed onto each respective article of manufacture must be combined into
one large combination image file, which can then be sent to the printer
for simultaneous printing on the items loaded on the pallet. Building the
combination image file, however, is not an easy task, as it involves both
knowledge of the precise position of each article of manufacture on the
pallet and the precise position of the printable area of each article of
manufacture to be loaded onto the pallet, and knowledge of the mapping of
pixels in the combination image file to the physical points on the
pallet.

[0006] Yet a further complication in having the printer print multiple
articles of manufacture at the same time is that even if the printer can
be instructed, via the single image file that it receives, to print image
content only on certain areas of the articles of manufacture on the
pallet, the printing process generally results in at least some ink
overspray (i.e., ink sprayed or splattered beyond the intended area of
the printed image), which, depending on the placement of the image on the
article of manufacture, can end up being applied to the pallet itself.
When ink is deposited on the pallet, the ink can be transferred to
subsequent sets of articles of manufacture loaded onto the pallet, either
as wet ink or ink dust. This unintentionally transferred ink or ink dust
can render flaws on subsequent articles of manufacture printed on the
pallet.

[0007] Accordingly, it would be desirable to have available techniques for
printing multiple articles of manufacture on a printer that prints one
image at a time that also minimizes the aforementioned problems.

SUMMARY

[0008] Embodiments of the invention are directed at a printer pallet with
removable tray for supporting simultaneous printing of multiple separate
articles of manufacture, and may include a positioner for assisting in
the precise placement of articles onto the pallet.

[0009] In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a pallet
assembly for supporting printing of multiple articles of manufacture by a
printer is provided. The pallet assembly comprises: a pallet comprising a
pallet base having a top surface, and a plurality of platforms protruding
from the top surface of the base and separated by channels, each platform
comprising a support surface having an area of predefined dimensions for
supporting an article of manufacture; and a carrier comprising a carrier
base having a plurality of apertures, each aperture corresponding to a
respective one of each of the platforms and having aperture dimensions
only slightly greater than the corresponding predefined dimensions of the
support surface of the corresponding platform, such that when the carrier
is properly installed on the pallet, each of the platforms fits
substantially conformingly within a corresponding respective aperture of
the carrier, thereby exposing only the support surfaces of the platforms
through the respective apertures, wherein the carrier base otherwise
substantially covers the top surface of the pallet base and channels.

[0010] In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a method
for simultaneously printing multiple articles of manufacture in a printer
designed to print a single image file is provided. The method comprises
the steps of: mounting a pallet on a printer transport mechanism of the
printer, the pallet comprising a pallet base having a top surface, and a
plurality of platforms protruding from the top surface of the base and
separated by channels, each platform comprising a support surface having
an area of predefined dimensions for supporting an article of
manufacture; installing a carrier into proper position on the pallet, the
carrier comprising a carrier base having a plurality of apertures, each
aperture corresponding to a respective one of each of the pallet
platforms and having aperture dimensions only slightly greater than the
corresponding predefined dimensions of the support surface of its
corresponding platform on the pallet, such that when the carrier is
properly installed on the pallet, each of the platforms fits
substantially conformingly within a corresponding respective aperture of
the carrier, thereby exposing only the support surfaces of the platforms
through the respective apertures, wherein the carrier base otherwise
substantially covers the top surface of the pallet base and channels;
placing an article of manufacture on each of the platforms; and causing
the printer to print the combined image file such that the respective
individual images are printed onto the respective articles of manufacture
loaded on the platforms.

[0011] It is an advantage of the invention that the carrier is removable
from the pallet as it allows an entire set of printed articles to be
easily transported to and from the printer, for example, for transport to
a drying unit or other post-printing processing. Another advantage of the
removable aspect of the carrier is that it allows the carrier to be
removed and cleaned without having to dismount the entire pallet from the
printer's transport base. When mounted onto the pallet, a carrier that is
fully populated with articles to be printed completely covers the top
surfaces of the pallet within the printable area of the printer, thereby
preventing any ink from being applied to the pallet itself during
printing. Thus, any ink that is not applied to the articles themselves is
applied to the carrier, which is preferably fabricated using a material
that is easily cleaned.

[0012] These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention
will be better understood with reference to the accompanying drawings,
description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] FIG. 1A is a side view of a digital image printer for printing
digital images directly onto an article of manufacture;

[0014] FIG. 1B is a top view of the digital image printer of FIG. 1A;

[0015] FIG. 1C is a top view of a digital image printer and separate
drying unit;

[0016] FIG. 2A is a top-down view of an exemplary embodiment of a mouse
pad;

[0017] FIG. 2B is a side view of the mouse pad of FIG. 2A;

[0018]FIG. 3A is an exploded perspective view of an exemplary embodiment
of a mouse pad pallet assembly;

[0019] FIG. 3B is an exploded side view of the mouse pad pallet assembly
of FIG. 3A;

[0020] FIG. 4A is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a mouse
pad pallet;

[0021] FIG. 4B is a top-down view of the mouse pad pallet of FIG. 4A;

[0022] FIG. 4C is a side view of the mouse pad pallet of FIGS. 4A and 4B;

[0023] FIG. 5A is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a mouse
pad carrier configured to be used with the mouse pad pallet of FIGS.
4A-4C;

[0025] FIG. 5C is a side view of the mouse pad carrier of FIGS. 5A and 5B;

[0026] FIG. 6A is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a mouse
pad positioner configured to be used with the mouse pad pallet of FIGS.
4A-4C and carrier of FIGS. 5A-5C;

[0027]FIG. 6B is a top-down view of the mouse pad positioner of FIG. 6A;

[0028] FIG. 6C is a side view of the mouse pad positioner of FIGS. 6A and
6B;

[0029] FIG. 7A is a perspective view of a pallet assembly wherein the
carrier is mounted on the pallet;

[0030] FIG. 7B is a top-down view of the pallet assembly of FIG. 7A;

[0031]FIG. 7c is a side view of the of the pallet assembly of FIGS. 7A
and 7B;

[0032] FIG. 8A is a perspective view of a pallet assembly wherein the
carrier is mounted on the pallet and the positioner is mounted over the
carrier;

[0033] FIG. 8B is a top-down view of the pallet assembly of FIG. 8A;

[0034] FIG. 5C is a side view of the of the pallet assembly of FIGS. 8A
and 8B;

[0035] FIG. 9A is a perspective view of a pallet assembly wherein a
carrier which also operates as a positioner is mounted on the pallet;

[0036] FIG. 9B is a top-down view of the pallet assembly of FIG. 9A;

[0037] FIG. 9C is a side view of the of the pallet assembly of FIGS. 9A
and 9B;

[0038] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a carrier loaded with mouse pads
being removed from the pallet;

[0039] FIG. 11 is a combination image file template for use in
simultaneously printing multiple articles of manufacture loaded onto the
pallet assembly of FIGS. 3A-3B;

[0040] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the correspondence between slots
in the combination image file template and areas of a loaded pallet
assembly;

[0041] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the mapping of pixels in the
combination image file template to points on a loaded pallet assembly;

[0042] FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an individual image having a
desired print area and a bleed area;

[0043] FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating relative misalignment between a
mouse pad loaded on a pallet assembly and an actual print area of an
individual printed thereon;

[0044] FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating another example of relative
misalignment between a mouse pad loaded on a pallet assembly and an
actual print area of an individual printed thereon;

[0045] FIG. 17 is a system diagram of a combination image file generation
system;

[0046] FIG. 18 is a flowchart of a method for creating individual images
for placement in a combination image file template such that the
individual images are sized to the desired print area plus a desired
amount of bleed area;

[0047] FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating creation of an individual with
desired amount of bleed area by addition of a white stroke around the
perimeter of a transparent overlay;

[0048]FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating a method for creating a
combination image file given a set of individual images sized to a
desired print area plus a desired amount of bleed area; and

[0049] FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating a method of simultaneously
printing multiple articles of manufacture.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] It will be understood that while the discussion herein describes an
embodiment of the invention in the field of preparation of customized
printed mouse pads, the invention is not so limited and is relevant to
preparation and simultaneous printing of multiple articles of
manufacture, where the articles of manufacture may be any object capable
of being printed on by a printer, and in particular a printer pallet
supporting multiple separate articles of manufacture, which may include a
removable tray and a positioner for assisting in the precise placement of
articles onto the pallet.

[0051] FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate a digital image printer 100 for printing
digital images directly onto an article of manufacture such as a mouse
pad. The printer 100 includes a printing table 102 having a pallet 104
mounted thereon for holding an article of manufacture 110. The printer
100 also includes an array of inkjet print heads 106 and a drying unit
108. The printing table 102 is mounted on a conveyance system 112 which
conveys the printing table 102 along a pre-determined path past the
operative ends of the print heads 106 and the drying unit 108. The
conveyance system 112 may be any automated or manual means for conveying
the printing table 102 along the pre-determined path. For example, in one
embodiment, the conveyance system 112 is an automated conveyor belt
system under the control of a computer program. In another embodiment,
the conveyance system 112 is a set of rollers over which the printing
table slides when manually guided by a human operator.

[0052] A controller 114 is coupled to the printer 100 for causing printing
of a digital image on the article of manufacture 110 on the pallet 104 as
the printing table 102 passes the print heads 106. For a color image, the
printing of the image is achieved by placing ink drops at different
adjacent sites as discreet, physically non-mixed drops. The ink
composition used must prevent the drops from "bleeding" on the applied
media. In the illustrated embodiment, the image is printed by an array of
color printing heads 114. The image is printed using subtractive primary
colors: Cyan, Yellow, Magenta, and Black (CYMK), for example, using
transparent ink. When printing on dark colored apparel, a layer of white
ink may first be printed prior to printing the CYMK process. The printing
may require a single pass of the article of manufacture 110 past the
printheads 106, or series of passes, to complete the printing of the
image on the article of manufacture 110. After the printing process is
complete, the controller 114 may cause the printing table 102 to convey
the article of manufacture 110 on the pallet 104 past a drying unit 108
to dry the ink on the article of manufacture 110.

[0053] FIGS. 1A and 1B show an embodiment of the printer 100 which
includes the drying unit 108 and shares the same transport system 112 to
pass the article of manufacture through the drying unit 108.
Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 1C, the drying unit 108 may be an
independent unit, requiring an operator (human or other means) to remove
the printed article of manufacture 110 from the printer 100, transport
the printed article of manufacture 110 to the independent drying unit
108, and to cause the printed article of manufacture 110 to be inserted
into the drying unit 108 for drying.

[0054] FIGS. 2A and 2B depict an exemplary mouse pad 200. As shown, the
mouse pad 200 comprises a substrate 201 and a printable surface 202. In
one embodiment, the shape of the mouse pad 200 is rectangular with
rounded corners. However, it will be appreciated that the shape of the
mouse pad can be any desired 2-dimensional shape and that the shape of
the mouse pad is not limited to that illustrated. In an embodiment, the
substrate 201 of the mouse pad is rubber and the printable surface is a
cloth or other fabric that is adhered to the rubber substrate. In an
embodiment, the dimensions of the mouse pad are 235 mm by 195 mm by 3 mm.

[0055] FIGS. 3A-3B together illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a novel
pallet assembly 300, including a pallet 310 for multiple articles of
manufacture with carrier 330 and positioner 350. In the illustrative
embodiment, the pallet assembly 300 is designed for articles of
manufacture in the form of mouse pads 200, for example as shown in FIGS.
2A and 2B. The pallet 310 may be mounted on the printing table 102 in a
printer 100 such as that shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C and used to print
respective images onto the printable surfaces 202 of the respective mouse
pads 200.

[0056] As illustrated in FIGS. 3A-3B, the pallet assembly 300 includes a
pallet 310, a carrier tray 330, and a positioner 350. As best shown in
FIGS. 4A-4C, the pallet 310 comprises a base 312 and has a top surface
311 which supports articles of manufacture to be printed. The base 312 of
the pallet 310 is generally in the form of a large flat surface, such as
a slab or plate. In an embodiment, the dimensions of the base 312 are,
for example only and not limitation, 490 mm by 615 mm and 24 mm thick. In
an embodiment, the pallet 310 is constructed of Aluminum or other metal,
but may alternatively be fabricated using any hard and durable material
such as, but not limited to, fiberglass, thermosetting plastic, etc.

[0057] In an embodiment, the top surface 311 of the pallet 310 may simply
be one large smooth flat contiguous surface with no particular
demarcations indicating where to place articles of manufacture.

[0058] In the illustrative embodiment, however, and for reasons that will
become apparent hereinafter, the pallet 310 includes a plurality of
platforms 314 (shown as 314a, 314b, 314c, 314d, 314e, 314f) protruding
upward from the top surface 311 of the base 312 such that the horizontal
surface (referred to herein as "top surface" 315) of the platforms are
raised above the surface level of the pallet base 312. Each platform 314
supports one article of manufacture of a particular type. For example, in
the illustrative embodiment, the article of manufacture is a mouse pad
200, and the pallet 310 includes six mouse pad platforms 314a, 314b,
314c, 314d, 314e, and 314f (Of course, in other embodiments, there may be
more or fewer such platforms, the number generally being determined based
on the size of the printable area that the printer is capable of printing
and the size of the articles of manufacture).

[0059] Each platform 314 has a top surface 315 that supports an article of
manufacture (such as a mouse pad 200) placed thereon during the printing
process to secure and expose the desired print area of the article of
manufacture 200 in a consistent position and orientation. The pallet
configuration requires articles of manufacture 200 to be placed in
designated places and positions (as determined by the platforms), thereby
fixing the positions of the articles of manufacture 200 on the pallet
330, and consequently fixing the positions of the print areas of the
articles of manufacture 200 relative to the entire printable area that
the printer 100 is capable of printing. This simplifies the image pixel
mapping process in that each individual image to be printed on each
corresponding article of manufacture 200 always maps to a predetermined
set of points on the top surface 311 of the pallet 330.

[0060] In the illustrative embodiment, each platform 314 comprises four
quadrants 316 separated by open channels 318. In an embodiment, the
channels 318 criss-cross the platform 314 into four quadrants 316 of
equal size. In an embodiment, the channels 318 are 12 mm wide. The depth
of the channels 318 measured from the top surface 315 of the platform 314
is, for example only and not limitation, approximately 8 mm. The reason
for the channels 318 passing through the platforms 314 is to allow
portions of the carrier 330, called "support bars", as discussed
subsequently, to rest within the channels 318 while still allowing the
mouse pads 200 to sit flat upon the top surface 315 of the platforms 314.

[0061] FIGS. 5A-5C show an exemplary carrier 330 to be used with the
pallet 310. The carrier 330 is generally a flat sheet of hard durable
ink-resistant material having a plurality of apertures 331, each
corresponding to a respective one of each of the platform sections 316
(i.e., platform quadrants). The shape and size of the each aperture 331
conforms substantially to the shape and size of the top surface 315 of
its corresponding pallet platform section 316 such that when the carrier
330 is properly installed on the pallet 310, each of the platform
sections 316 fits substantially conformingly within a corresponding
respective aperture 331 of the carrier 330 yet otherwise substantially
covers the entire top surface 311 of the pallet 310, thereby exposing
only the top surfaces 315 of the pallet platforms 314 therethrough.
Carrier sections 332 that correspond to platform channels 318 are
referred to herein as support bars 332, as their function is to support
the articles of manufacture 200 when the carrier 330 is removed from the
pallet 310 such that the articles of manufacture 200 do not fall out of
the carrier 330 during transport. Carrier sections 334 that fit around
the perimeters of the platforms 314 as a whole are referred to herein as
frame sections 334. The shapes of the apertures 331 substantially conform
to corresponding shapes of the platform sections 316 of the pallet 310
such that when the carrier 330 is installed over the pallet 310, the
support bars 332 lie within the platform channels 318 and the carrier
frame sections 334 lie within the channels 319 formed between and around
the platforms 314 of the pallet 310.

[0062] In an embodiment, the carrier dimensions are at least 570 mm by 695
mm by 4 mm thick. Thus, the dimensions of the surface of the carrier 330
that lies parallel to the plane of the print surface of the pallet are
larger than the dimensions of the top surface 311 of the pallet 310. In
an embodiment, the width of the support bars 332 which fit into the
platform channels 318 is 10 mm, and the width of the frame sections 334
which fit between the individual platforms, or pallet channels 319, of
the pallet 310 is 20 mm. Noticeably, the width of the support bars 332
which fit into the platform channels 318 is only slightly smaller (e.g.,
2 mm) than the width of the platform channels 318, and the width of the
frame sections 334 which fit into the pallet channels 319 between the
individual platforms 314 of the pallet 310 is only slightly smaller
(e.g., 4 mm) than the width of the corresponding channels 319 between the
individual platforms 314 of the pallet 310. The dimensions of the
apertures 331, support bars 332, and frame sections 334 and the outside
dimensions of the carrier 330 are all designed to allow the carrier 330
to be easily installed over the pallet to expose the top surfaces 315 of
the platform sections 316 while still ensuring that substantially all of
the remaining surface area of the pallet 310 which form the channels 318
and 319 is covered by the carrier 330 to prevent ink from accumulating in
the any of the channels of the pallet 310. That is, when the carrier 310
is installed properly over the pallet 310, only the top surfaces of the
pallet platforms are exposed therethrough. Since all of the exposed top
surfaces 315 of the platforms 314 will be covered by articles of
manufacture during printing, and the carrier 330 otherwise covers the
remaining top surfaces of the pallet 310, no ink (or at least very little
ink) can accumulate on the pallet 310 itself. In an embodiment, the
carrier 330 is constructed of a hard durable plastic that is resistant to
the type of ink to be applied to the articles of manufacture, making the
carrier 330 easily washable or otherwise cleanable, such as, but not
limited to, Polyamide and Polyester resin on a fiberglass matt, but may
alternatively be fabricated using any hard durable easily-cleanable
material such as thermosetting plastic.

[0063] In one embodiment, the carrier 330 may be formed as a single flat
sheet of material, or base 335, with the apertures 331 positioned to
accommodate the platform quadrants 316 as previously described. However,
if the thickness of the carrier 330 is less than the depth of the support
channels 318, it is possible that the mouse pad 200 will not lie
completely fiat in the areas of the support channels 318 due to lack of
direct support underneath the mouse pad 200 in these areas. Accordingly,
in one embodiment, the support bars 332 of the carrier 330 are configured
to protrude above the plane of the base 335 of the carrier 330. That is,
the top horizontal surface of the support bars 332 are raised above the
surface level of the carrier base 335. The height of the top surface of
the support bars 332 above the top surface of the base 335 of the carrier
330 is preferably equal to the difference between the depth of the
support channels 318 and the thickness of the carrier base 335. This
ensures that when the carrier 330 is installed over the pallet 310 such
that the top surfaces 315 of the platform quadrants 316 are exposed
through the apertures 331 of the carrier 330, the top surfaces of the
support bars 332 of the carrier 330 lie flush with the top surface 315 of
the platforms 314 of the pallet 310. This is best illustrated in FIG. 7c,
which shows a side cross-sectional view of a carrier 330 with reinforced
support bars 335 protruding above the plane of the top surface of the
carrier base 335. The perspective view and top-down views are shown in
FIGS. 7A and 7B for reference. Thus, when a mouse pad 200 is placed on
the platform 314, the mouse pad 200 is completely supported at all points
thereunder, either by the pallet platform quadrants 316 or the carrier
support bars 332.

[0064] In one embodiment, the carrier 330 is implemented with a flat base
335 having apertures 331 corresponding to each of the platform quadrants
316. For each set of support bars 332 corresponding to one of the
platforms 314 of the pallet 310, a support plate 338 is attached, as best
illustrated in FIG. 5B. Each support plate 338 comprises a frame 339 and
matching criss-crossed support bars 340 to form four apertures 342
substantially the size and shape of the four respective platform
quadrants 316. The thickness of the support plate 338 is preferably the
difference between the depth of the support channels 318 on the pallet
and the thickness of the carrier base 335.

[0065] Once the carrier 330 is installed over the pallet, for example as
shown in FIGS. 7A-7C, the articles of manufacture 200 may be placed onto
each platform 314 using visual alignment. For example, in an embodiment,
the outer dimensions of the platforms 314 may be configured to exactly
match the outer dimensions of the mouse pad 200 that will be supported
thereon. In this case, a print operator may place a mouse pad 200 on each
platform 314 and visually align each mouse pad 200 directly over its
respective platform 314 so that there is no overhang in any direction.

[0066] Alternatively, the pallet assembly 300 may include a positioner
350, shown best in FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 8A-8C, which is placed over the
carrier 330 on the pallet 310 and used to quickly position articles of
manufacture 200 in precise alignment on respective platforms 314 of the
pallet 310. FIGS. 6A-6C illustrate an exemplary positioner 350 to be used
with the pallet 310 and carrier 330. The positioner 350 is generally a
flat sheet of hard durable material such as Aluminum or plastic having
apertures 352 corresponding to each platform 314 on the pallet 310 and
having dimensions that substantially conform to the outer perimeter of
the particular type of article of manufacture 200 to be placed on each
platform. In the illustrative embodiment where the articles of
manufacture are mouse pads 200, the dimensions of each of the apertures
352 of the positioner 350 are substantially the dimensions of the mouse
pads 200 to be positioned therein, plus a small amount of wiggle room
(e.g., a few or less mm) to allow the mouse pads 200 to be easily placed
within the aperture 352 in its correct orientation and then to allow the
positioner 350 to be pulled up and removed while allowing the mouse pads
200 to remain in place on the platforms 314 without being disturbed by
the removal of the positioner 350. In an embodiment, the pallet 310
includes holes 322 which connect to a vacuum system (not shown) which is
activated to secure the articles of manufacture 200 in place once they
are aligned and to prevent any further movement of the articles of
manufacture 200 during the printing process.

[0067] In an embodiment, the dimensions of the positioner 350 are 620 mm
by 750 mm by 4 mm thick, slightly larger than those of the carrier 330 to
allow the positioner 350 to be handled at its outside edges without
touching the carrier 330. The added surface area can therefore operate as
inherent handles for removing the positioner 350 from the carrier 330
without unintentionally pulling the carrier off the pallet 310 along with
the positioner 350. In an embodiment, the dimensions of each of the
positioner apertures is 242 mm by 198 mm, only 5 mm greater along each
dimension than the corresponding dimensions of the mouse pads 200 to be
seated therein. The positions of the apertures 352 and the outside
dimensions of the positioner 350 are all designed to allow the positioner
350 to be easily installed in place over the pallet 310 and carrier 330
such that only the platform surfaces 315 of the pallet 310 are exposed
therethrough, and easily removed from the carrier 330 without disturbing
either the mouse pads 200 resting on the platforms 314 or the carrier
330. In an embodiment, the positioner 350 is constructed of a hard
durable material, such as Aluminum or another metal or plastic material.

[0068] In operation, the pallet 310 is mounted on the printing table 102
or other such printer transport mechanism. Generally, the pallet 310 will
be fixedly mounted to the printing table 102, either directly or via an
intervening pallet base 325, using bolts or other attachment means so
that the pallet 310 cannot move relative to the transport mechanism 102.
When a batch of articles of manufacture 200 is to be printed, the carrier
330 is mounted onto the pallet 310 in a position such that the platforms
314 are exposed through the apertures 331 of the carrier 330. The
positioner 350 is then mounted onto the carrier 330, again such that the
platforms 314 are exposed through the apertures 331, 352 of both the
carrier 330 and the positioner 350, respectively. An operator then places
articles of manufacture 200 onto each of the exposed platforms 314 using
the edges 353 of the apertures 352 of the positioner 350 as an alignment
guide. In an embodiment, the combined thicknesses of the carrier 330 and
positioner 350 is greater than the depth of the frame section channels
319 such that top surface of the positioner 350 lies on a plane above the
plane of the top surface 315 of the platforms 314. This allows the
operator to utilize the edges 353 of the positioner apertures 352 as a
physical guide (like a jig) when placing the mouse pads 200 on the
platforms 314 and within the positioner apertures 352. To be properly
placed, the mouse pad 200 must be placed, with its printable surface 202
facing up, such that it fits entirely within an aperture 352 of the
positioner 350. Thus, to ensure accurate placement, the size and shape of
the apertures 352 in the positioner 350 should closely match the size and
shape of the articles of manufacture 200 to be positioned therewith.
Placement of the mouse pads 200 on the pallet platforms 314 within the
positioner apertures 352 is therefore similar to placement of a wooden or
foam puzzle piece into a puzzle base.

[0069] Handles (not shown) may be affixed to the carrier 330 and/or the
positioner 350 to facilitate placement of the carrier 330 and positioner
310 onto the pallet 310 and subsequent removal of the positioner 350 and
carrier 330 therefrom. Alternatively, handles may be fabricated integral
to the carrier 330 and/or the positioner 350, for example by creating one
or more additional apertures along one or more edges of the carrier 330
and/or positioner 350 which may serve as handles.

[0070] In order to facilitate and further ensure accurate placement of the
carrier 330 and/or the positioner 350 onto the pallet 310, the pallet 310
may include one or more alignment pins 326 protruding perpendicularly
from the top surface 311 of the pallet 310. Such alignment pins 326
should be placed along the frame sections 319 so as not to interfere with
the print surface 315 of the platforms 314. When alignment pins 326 are
used, the carrier 330 and/or the positioner 350 should include matching
apertures 346, 356 on the carrier 330 and positioner 350, respectively,
through which the pin(s) 326 are inserted when the carrier 330 and/or the
positioner 350 are lowered into position over the pallet 310. Such
alignment techniques are well-known in the art.

[0071] While the preferred embodiment of the pallet assembly includes the
removable positioner 350, in an alternative embodiment, alignment of the
mouse pads on the pallet platforms 314 is accomplished using one or more
visual alignment indicators. For example, in one embodiment, the carrier
could include an inscribed line or set of lines indicating where the
edges of the mouse pad should align on the carrier 330. One disadvantage
of this embodiment is that the visual indicator(s) may become obscured
should there be any ink overspray onto the alignment indicators.

[0072] In an alternative embodiment, the carrier 330 itself can also
operate as a positioner. As best shown in FIGS. 9A-9C, the thickness of
the carrier base 335 may be configured to be greater than the depth of
the support channels 318 such that the edges of the carrier apertures 331
extend above the top surface 315 of the platforms 314, allowing the
operator to utilize the aperture edges as a jig in placing the mouse pads
200 on the platforms 314.

[0073] In another alternative embodiment, platforms may be configured with
physical alignment assists, such as corner guides mounted at each corner
of each platform. In this embodiment, the operator need only ensure that
each of the four corners of the mouse pad align within a respective
corner guide on the platform. However, the corner guides are likewise
subject to ink overspray, which may soil subsequent mouse pads that are
mounted on the same pallet platform. Even when the ink dries between each
use of the pallet, dry ink is subject to turning into ink dust, which
then smudges subsequently mounted mouse pads. Yet other alignment
mechanisms or indicators may be also be implemented.

[0074] Variations of the illustrated pallet assembly 300 may be
implemented without departing from the scope of the claimed invention.
For example, the shapes of the mouse pads may not be rectangular but
rather some other shape. The shape of the pallet platforms may be
configured to match the shape of the articles of manufacture to be
printed. Likewise the shapes of the apertures in the carrier and
positioner can be similarly shaped to match that of the articles of
manufacture to be printed. Furthermore, the articles of manufacture to be
printed may not be mouse pads at all, but rather some other article of
manufacture. Additionally, the material from which each of the pallet,
carrier, and positioner is made may vary from that described in the
illustrative embodiments.

[0075] The pallet assembly 300 described herein ensures accurate
positioning and alignment of articles of manufacture on a printer pallet.
The pallet assembly is important, among other reasons, because it ensures
that the desired print area for the image to be printed on each article
of manufacture is guaranteed to be within a respective predetermined area
on the pallet allowing for a predetermined amount of tolerance. This is
important because the combination image file that incorporates each of
the individual images to be printed on the respective articles of
manufacture loaded on the pallet must be designed such that each
respective individual image is placed. In the combination image file such
that when the combination image file is printed, each individual image is
printed on the desired print area of a respective article of manufacture
on the pallet.

[0076] FIG. 11 illustrates an example combination image file template 400
having one slot 401a, 401b, 401c, 401d, 401e, 401f (generally referred as
401) corresponding to each platform 314a, 314b, 314c, 314d, 314e, 314f on
the pallet 310. Each respective slot 401a, 401b, 401c, 401d, 401e, 401f
is configured to receive image content to be printed only on an article
of manufacture mounted on its corresponding platform 314a, 314b, 314c,
314d, 314e, 314f. Image content (referred to herein as an "individual
image") to be printed on a given article of manufacture is inserted into
the respective slot 401 of the combination image file template 400 that
corresponds to the particular pallet platform 314 on which the article of
manufacture is to be loaded.

[0077] Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 12, individual image 402a is inserted
into slot 401a corresponding to the particular platform 314a on which a
mouse pad 200a is to be loaded. The individual image 402a will therefore
be printed only on the mouse pad 200a loaded on platform 314a, and not on
the other mouse pads. Similarly, individual image 402b is inserted into
slot 401b corresponding to the particular platform 314b that another
mouse pad 200b is to be loaded. The individual image 402b will be printed
only on the mouse pad 200b loaded on platform 314b and not the other
mouse pads on the pallet 310. Similarly, respective individual images
402c, 402d, 402e, 402f inserted in respective slots 401c, 401d, 401e,
401f will be printed only on the mouse pads 200c, 200d, 200e, 200f loaded
on respective platforms 314c, 314d, 314e, 314f.

[0078] In the case, as with mouse pads 200, that the pallet 310 and
carrier 350 is designed such that the articles of manufacture do not
actually touch each other when loaded on the pallet assembly 300, in an
embodiment the individual images 402a, 402b, 402c, 402d, 402e, 402f
inserted into each of the corresponding slots 401a, 401b, 401c, 401d,
401e, 401f of the combination image file template 400 are sized so as not
to completely fill its corresponding slot, leaving white or transparent
pixels in the portion of the slot not covered by the individual image.
Since the printer does not print transparent pixels (and/or may be
configured not to print white areas of the image), no ink will be applied
to the loaded pallet assembly in the areas not containing image content,
or in areas of the articles of manufacture that are not intended to be
covered by image content. This is desirable so as to prevent ink from
being applied on areas of the articles of manufacture that should not
have image content, and also, in the case where the image content is to
completely cover the exposed surface of the articles of manufacture, to
reduce the amount of ink applied to the carrier 330 rather than the
articles of manufacture. For example, in the case of mouse pads 200 where
each individual image is to cover the entire top surface 202 of the mouse
pad, it is desirable to have white or transparent pixels which correspond
to the frame sections of the carrier 330 so as to reduce the amount of
ink applied to the carrier. Accordingly, in an embodiment, the individual
images 402a, 402b, 402c, 402d, 402e, 402f may be sized smaller than the
slots 401a, 401b, 401c, 401d, 401e, 401f and centered within the slot
when inserted into a slot. (As described below, the individual images
402a, 402b, 402c, 402d, 402e, 402f may include a bleed area which may
result in the individual images completely filling the corresponding
slots 401a, 401b, 401c, 401d, 401e, 401f. As further explanation, each
pixel in the combination image file template 400 (and also each pixel in
the resulting combination image file 500 (see FIG. 17) generated by
inserting individual images 402a, 402b, 402c, 402d, 402e, 402f into each
of the individual slots 401a, 401b, 401c, 401d, 401e, 401f of the
template 400) must map to a point on the pallet assembly 300. Thus, the
pixels in each individual image 402a, 402b, 402c, 402d, 402e, 402f in the
combination image file 400 must map to corresponding points on the pallet
310, and preferably to points which coincide with a desired print area on
an article of manufacture 200 loaded on the pallet 310 above the
corresponding points on the pallet 310. FIG. 13 illustrates an example
combination image file template 400 and how pixels in the combination
image file template 400 map to points on a loaded pallet assembly 300.
While every pixel in the image file 400 does actually map to a point on
the pallet assembly 310/330, for ease of illustration only a few pixels
A, B, C, D in image file 400 are shown mapped to points a, b, c, d on the
pallet assembly 310/330. Noticeably, some pixels A, B, C map to points on
the pallet 310 on which a mouse pad 200 is loaded, while other pixels D
map to points on the pallet assembly 310/330 (specifically carrier 330)
which is not covered by a mouse pad.

[0079] Since some pixels in the combination image file template 400 will
not map to a point on an actual article of manufacture but instead to a
point on the frame section of the carrier 330, the positioning of each
individual image 402a, 402b, 402c, 402d, 402e, 402f in its corresponding
slot 401a, 401b, 401c, 401d, 401e, 401f of the combination image file
template 400 must be implemented such that all or most of the pixels of
the individual images 402a, 402b, 402c, 402d, 402e, 402f in the
combination image file template 400 map to corresponding points of
respective loaded articles of manufacture on the pallet assembly 310/330.

[0080] In the illustrative embodiment, each individual image 402a, 402b,
402c, 402d, 402e, 402f is intended to occupy the entire surface area of
the respective mouse pad 200a, 200b, 200c, 200d, 200e, 200f on which is
it printed. Thus, the individual images 402a, 402b, 402c, 402d, 402e,
402f are positioned within their respective slots 401a, 401b, 401c, 401d,
401e, 401f such that the pixels at the edges of the individual images
402a, 402b, 402c, 402d, 402e, 402f map to edge points on corresponding
mouse pads 200a, 200b, 200c, 200d, 200e, 200f (or, if implemented to
points on the pallet assembly that correspond to bleed edges, which are
discussed hereinafter).

[0081] In an alternative embodiment, each individual image 402a, 402b,
402c, 402d, 402e, 402f is intended to be printed on only a designated
portion of the surface area of the respective mouse pad 200a, 200b, 200c,
200d, 200e, 200f on which is it printed. Thus, pixels in the combination
image file template 400 which correspond to edge pixels of the individual
images may map to internal points on corresponding mouse pads.

[0082] In yet another alternative embodiment, each individual image 402a,
402b, 402c, 402d, 402e, 402f is intended to occupy the entire surface
area of the respective article of manufacture (e.g., mouse pad 200a,
200b, 200c, 200d, 200e, 200f) on which is it printed and further extend a
few pixels beyond the surface area of the respective mouse pads in order
to ensure that if the alignment of the article of manufacture is off by a
few pixels, the entire print surface area of the article of manufacture
will still be covered by the image. Thus, in the illustrative embodiment,
pixels in the combination image file template 400 which correspond to
edge pixels of the individual images 402a, 402b, 402c, 402d, 402e, 402f
map to points on the frame sections 334 of the carrier 330. Note that
this type of printing results in overspray of ink onto the frame sections
334 of the carrier 330. However, since the carrier 330 is fabricated
using an ink-resistant material, the carrier 330 can be cleaned between
print operations. Alternatively, the carrier 330 may be fabricated using
a material that allows the ink to adhere to the carrier 330 yet dry
completely when the ink is dried in the drying unit 108 such that it does
not result in undesirable ink dust that can be transferred to
subsequently loaded mouse pads 200. Also to be noted is that the carrier
330 completely protects the pallet 310 from ink deposits.

[0083] When the respective individual images 402a, 402b, 402c, 402d, 402e,
402f are to be printed to cover at least a portion of the edges of the
article of manufacture, the image to be printed may be sized to print an
area slightly larger than the desired print area to accommodate any
slight misalignment between the actual position of the print area printed
by the printer and the actual physical position of the desired print area
on the article of manufacture loaded on the pallet 310. The portion of
the image that maps (at least theoretically) to points on the pallet or
article of manufacture that lie outside the desired print area on the
article of manufacture is referred to herein as the "bleed area". Adding
a bleed area to the image to be printed ensures that the relevant edge(s)
of the article of manufacture are fully covered by the image as expected.
For example, when the article of manufacture is a mouse pad and the mouse
pad is intended to be fully covered by an image, an image having
dimensions slightly larger than the mouse pad (the excess dimensions
generating the bleed area of the image) may be printed onto the mouse pad
such that if the printer is misaligned with the pallet, or the mouse pad
is slightly misaligned on the platform, or if there is any tolerance
error in the printer setup or manufacture, the image still covers the
entire mouse pad, resulting in a more aesthetically pleasing product.
Were a bleed area not implemented in the image to be printed, any
misalignment might cause a strip along one or more edges of the mouse pad
to not get printed, which depending on the contrast between the base
color of the mouse pad surface and the actual content of the image
printed thereon, may in some instances be very noticeable and detract
from the aesthetic quality of the mouse pad.

[0084] One disadvantage of implementing a bleed area in an image to be
printed is that ink is applied outside the area of the mouse pad on
portions of the carrier 330. While the carrier 330 is preferably
implemented with an ink-resistant material in order to reduce transfer of
ink from one use of the carrier 330 in a print operation to the next,
nonetheless it would be desirable to be able to adjust the amount of
bleed once the alignment characteristics of the printer 100 and pallet
assembly 300 relative to one another are known. That is, once a pallet
310 has been attached to the print transport mechanism 102 (and therefore
will not change from one print operation to the next (at least for one
type of articles of manufacture, such as mouse pads 200)), and a couple
or few print operations have completed, a print operator may determine
that the printer 100 and pallet assembly 300 combination consistently
result in printed images that are within a particular tolerance that is
less than the default tolerance (defined by the bleed area). It would be
desirable to allow the operator to change a parameter that adjusts the
amount of bleed area. This would allow the operator to reduce the bleed
area and therefore utilize less ink and reduce total production costs
when it is determined that the printer and pallet assembly combination
consistently requires a relatively narrower bleed. Conversely, when the
bleed area is set to a narrower (relative to the default bleed width) or
no width, such an adjustment tool would allow the operator to increase
the bleed width to a wider width if either the operator or an automated
monitoring system such as a statistical process control identifies a
drift towards requiring more bleed.

[0085] FIG. 14 illustrates an individual image 402 sized to print a bleed
area 405 with width b around the perimeter 404 of the actual desired
print area 403. As illustrated, the individual image 402 includes a
portion of the image 403 having dimensions that match the desired print
area that should be printed on the mouse pad 200. The individual image
402 also includes a bleed area 405 characterized by a contiguous strip of
width b around the entire perimeter 404 of the desired print area 403.
Thus, if the dimensions of the mouse pad 200 are x by y, the dimensions
of the desired print area are also x by y, and the dimensions of the
individual image 402 placed in the slot 401 are (x+2b) by (y+2b). For
example, if the mouse pad dimensions are 235 mm by 195 mm, the dimensions
of the individual image (desired print area plus bleed area) are 245 mm
by 205 mm.

[0086] FIG. 15 shows a portion of a loaded pallet assembly 310/330 and
illustrates how the bleed area 405 of the individual image 402 ensures
complete coverage of the mouse pad 200 when printed. (Note that the bleed
area 405 is not to scale with the desired print area 203--it is shown
enlarged in the illustration to assist in its description). As
illustrated in FIG. 15, there is a relative misalignment between the
physical position of the mouse pad 200 and the actual print area of the
printed individual image 402. That is, there is a relative misalignment
in the x dimension in the amount of dx, and there is a relative
misalignment in the y dimension in the amount of dy. However, because the
individual image 402 includes a bleed area 405 that is greater in width
than the misalignment error, the printed image still entirely covers the
mouse pad. If the individual image did not include the bleed area 405,
portions 205 of the mouse pad 200 (indicated by cross-hatching in FIG.
15) would not have received image coverage, which would have reduced the
aesthetic quality of the product.

[0087] FIG. 16 illustrates another misalignment example wherein the
relative misalignment between the physical position of the mouse pad 200
and the actual print area of the printed individual image 402 is very
small. In this case, the bleed area 405 is large compared to the portions
205 of the mouse pad 200 (indicated by cross-hatching in FIG. 15) that
would not have received image coverage, and therefore the width b of the
bleed area could have been much smaller while still allowing the bleed
area to achieve its purpose. If the relative misalignment error dx, dy
were seen to be consistently lower than the bleed width b, then the bleed
width b could be reduced to reduce the amount of ink utilized and applied
to the carrier 330.

[0088] According to one aspect of the invention, an ink bleed adjustment
tool is provided that allows adjustment of the width of the bleed during
the generation of the combination image file 500 to be sent to the
printer 100 and printed as a single file onto the loaded pallet assembly
300.

[0089] FIG. 17 is a block diagram of a combination image file generating
system 600 which generates a combination image file for printing by a
printer such as printer 100 which prints a single image file at a time.
The combination image file generating system 600 includes a processor 601
and computer readable storage memory 602 that includes program memory 603
which stores computer readable program instructions that together
implement a combination image file generation tool 610, and data memory
604 that retains a combination image file template 400 and a plurality of
base images 605a, 605b, 605c, 605d, 605e, 605f. The program memory 603
also includes computer readable program instructions that together
implement an ink bleed adjustment tool 620 that is utilized by the
combination image file generation tool 610 to set the width b of the
bleed area for base images 605a, 605b, 605c, 605d, 605e, 605f that are
combined with the combination image file template 400 to generate a
combination image file 500 to be printed by the printer 100 on a loaded
pallet assembly 300 such that individual images 402a, 402b, 402c, 402d,
402e, 402f are printed on desired print areas of articles of manufacture
200a, 200b, 200c, 200d, 200e, 200f loaded on the pallet assembly 300.

[0090] The combination image file generating system 600 includes data
input means 608, such as a computer keyboard, mouse, graphical user
interface, communications interface, etc., which allows a print operator
to input one or more ink bleed parameter values associated with the
desired amount of bleed to be printed around the desired print areas. The
ink bleed adjustment tool 620, under control of the processor 601,
converts the received ink bleed parameter(s) to one or more ink bleed
settings. The combination image file generation tool 610 and ink bleed
adjustment tool 620 together sizes the base images 605a, 605b, 605c,
605d, 605e, 605f so that the pixels map to the size of a desired print
area plus the desired amount of bleed when printed. The resized images
are the individual images 402a, 402b, 402c, 402d, 402e, 402f that are
then placed into the combination image file template 400 by the
combination image file generation tool 610. Once all of the individual
images 402a, 402b, 402c, 402d, 402e, 402f are place in the desired
positions in the combination image file template 400 such that the
individual images 402a, 402b, 402c, 402d, 402e, 402f will be printed onto
the desired print areas of the articles of manufacture loaded on the
pallet assembly 300, the file is converted (if necessary) and saved as a
postscript file, namely the combination image file 500, that can then be
sent to the printer 100 for printing as a single file, but resulting in
simultaneous printing of each of the individual images 402a, 402b, 402c,
402d, 402e, 402f onto the desired print areas of the articles of
manufacture loaded onto the pallet assembly 300. Once printed, the
multiple articles of manufacture can be transported directly on the
carrier 330 of the pallet assembly 300 by lifting the carrier 330 up off
the pallet 310 and transporting the loaded carrier 330 to the drying unit
108.

[0091] In one embodiment, the printer 100 is a Kornit 931NDS, manufactured
by Kornit Digital Ltd. having offices in the United States and Israel,
and includes two independent printer transport mechanisms and two
independent print head assemblies so that two independent print runs can
be operated simultaneously. In an embodiment, the drying unit 108 is a
Calmat Triple E oven, manufactured by Calmat, having headquarters in
Holland, includes twin conveyor belts for simultaneously drying two lines
of loaded carriers. In an embodiment, the temperature inside the drying
unit is between 160° C. and 175° C. The maximum temperature
and drying time may vary according to the type of article of manufacture.
For example, in the case of a rubber substrate 201 in a mouse pad 200,
the maximum temperature and drying time is restricted according to the
melting properties of the rubber.

[0092] FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method 700 for
creating the individual images 402a, 402b, 402c, 402d, 402e, 402f prior
to placement in the combination image file template 400 such that the
individual images 402a, 402b, 402c, 402d, 402e, 402f are sized to the
desired print area plus the desired amount of bleed area. The method
assumes a default ink bleed width, bdefault, for example 5 mm (but
it is to be understood that the default ink bleed width could be any
width so long as the resulting bleed will not be printed on any adjacent
article of manufacture on the pallet. The default ink bleed width can be
adjusted (reduced) by an amount equal to an ink bleed adjustment setting,
badjustment. During initialization, the ink bleed adjustment
setting, badjustment, may be set to zero such that the ink bleed
width added to the desired display area in the individual image will be
the default ink bleed width (e.g. b=bdefault-badjustment=5
mm-0=5 mm).

[0093] Turning now to the steps of the method 700, the dimensions, x by y,
of the desired print area of an individual image 402 (which may be any of
402a, 402b, 402c, 402d, 402e, 402f) to be inserted into the template 400
is obtained (step 701). The default ink bleed width, bdefault, and
ink bleed adjustment setting, badjustment, are also obtained (step
702). The ink bleed adjustment setting, badjustment, can be obtained
in one of several ways. In one embodiment, the user can enter a desired
bleed width bdesired, and the processor can calculate the adjustment
setting badjustment as badjustment=bdefault-bdesired.
In another embodiment, the user can enter the adjustment badjustment
directly.

[0094] The dimensions of the individual image 402 are then set to the
dimensions of the desired print area plus the default bleed area, e.g.
(x+2*bdefault) by (y+2*bdefault) (step 703). If the dimensions
of the selected base image 605 (i.e., one of base images 605a, 605b,
605c, 605d, 605e, 605f) is not already equal to the dimensions of the
individual image 402, the selected base image 605 is sized to the
dimensions of the individual image 402 (step 704). For example, if the
base image 605 has dimensions that are larger than the dimensions of the
individual image 402, the base image 605 may be cropped to fit the
dimensions of the individual image 402 and then saved as the
corresponding individual image 402 that is to be inserted into the
combination image file template 400 (step 705). Alternatively, the base
image 605 could be reduced in size, while still retaining its aspect
ratio, and then cropped if necessary such that the dimensions of the
resized image equals the dimensions of the individual image 402, while
still fully filling the area of the individual image 402 with image
content (step 706). If the base image 605 has dimensions that are smaller
than the dimensions of the individual image 402, the base image 605 may
be enlarged to fit the dimensions of the individual image 402 and then
saved as the corresponding individual image 402 that is to be inserted
into the combination image file template 400 (step 707). In an
embodiment, the base image 605 could be enlarged while still retaining
the original aspect ratio of the base image 605, and then cropped if
necessary such that the dimensions of the enlarged image equals the
dimensions of the individual image 402, while still fully filling the
area of the individual image 402 with image content (step 708).

[0095] Once the base image 605 is sized to fit the dimensions of the
individual image 402, a determination is made (in step 709) as to whether
an adjustment is required to the bleed area (i.e., whether
badjustment is non-zero). If an adjustment (i.e., reduction) to the
bleed area is required (i.e., badjustment is non-zero), then a white
frame having a width equal to the difference between the default bleed
width, bdefault, and the desired bleed width, bdesired, (i.e.,
the value of badjustment) is inserted around inside perimeter of the
individual image (step 710).

[0096] In an embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 19, this may be
accomplished by creating (step 711), overlaying and centering a
transparent image container 406 of the same size as the individual image
over the image container of the individual image (step 712), and
specifying the boundary perimeter 406 of the transparent container as a
white stroke 408 having a stroke width double the size of
badjustment (step 713). Since only the portion of the content inside
the transparent image container 406 implementing the individual image is
printed, the portion of the stroke 408 lying outside the perimeter 407 is
not printed. The portion of the stroke 408 lying on and inside the
perimeter 407 of the combined individual image whites out any image
content lying thereunder, essentially operating like a matte in a framed
picture. Because the stroke 408 whites out portions of the bleed area,
ink will not be applied to the pallet assembly 300 in areas of these
whited-out portions of the bleed area. Thus, the amount of ink used is
reduced, reducing the overall cost of printing. Of course, the ink bleed
adjustment should only be utilized when it is determined that the
printing characteristics of the particular printer and pallet assembly
combination require less bleed than the default bleed, but it allows the
printer operator to control the width of the bleed over multiple print
runs using the same pallet assembly 300. Alternatively, the bleed
characteristics of the printer and pallet assembly combination 300 can be
automatically monitored, for example by taking optical measurements of
the actual relative misalignment and automatically adjusting the ink
bleed adjustment setting, badjustment, to efficiently match the
actual relative misalignment.

[0097] In an alternative embodiment of step 710, once the base image 605
is sized to the dimensions of the individual image (having dimensions
equal to the desired print area plus default bleed area), the sized based
image 605 can be cropped along each edge by an amount equal to the ink
bleed adjustment setting, badjustment (step 714), and then the
cropped version can then be centered inside the image container defining
the individual image 402 (step 715).

[0098] The individual image 402 is saved and associated with the base
image 605. The method 700 is repeated for each base image 605 to be
converted to an individual image 402 and inserted into a combination
image file template 400 to be converted to a print-ready combination
image file 500 and sent to the printer 100 for printing onto a pallet
loaded with multiple articles of manufacture.

[0099]FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for
creating the combination image file 500 given a set of individual images
402a, 402b, 402c, 402d, 402e, 402f sized to the desired print area plus
the desired amount of bleed area. As illustrated in FIG. 20, first, a
combination image file template 400 is opened (step 801). The combination
image file template 400 includes a number of slots 401a, 401b, 401c,
401d, 401e, 401f, each corresponding to an area of the pallet assembly
330 on which a single article of manufacture is loaded. If one exists, an
empty slot 401 is identified (step 802). An individual image 402a, 402b,
402c, 402d, 402e, 402f is identified for placement into an empty slot
(step 803). The identified individual image 402 is inserted in a
predetermined position into the identified slot 401 (step 804). In an
embodiment, the identified individual image 402 is centered in the
identified slot 401 (step 805).

[0100] In alternative embodiments, the identified individual image 402 is
placed in a predetermined position (in the slot 401) that corresponds to
a desired print area on an article of manufacture that is to be loaded in
a predetermined position on the pallet that corresponds to the particular
slot 401 (step 806). For example, if the individual image 402 is to
printed only in the upper left hand corner of a rectangular article of
manufacture, the individual image would be placed in an area of the slot
whose pixels map to the upper left hand corner of the article of
manufacture when the article of manufacture is loaded on the platform of
the pallet that corresponds to the slot. Steps 802 through 804 are
repeated until there are no more empty slots 401 identified in step 802
(identified in step 807). Once the combination image file template 400 is
filled with individual images 402, the filled combination image file
template 400 is converted, if necessary, to a postscript or other such
print-ready file 500 (step 808), and saved as a combination image file
500 that is ready to be sent to the printer 100 for printing (step 809),
and sent to the printer 100 for printing (step 810).

[0101] In an embodiment, the combination image file template 400 is
implemented in a .pdf format (from Adobe Systems), which is already a
print-ready format, with each slot comprising an image container. Thus,
individual images can be inserted into the image containers in the
template file, and the template file can then simply be saved in the pdf
format.

[0102] In an embodiment, each slot in the combination image file template
400 comprises an independent image container having dimensions the size
of the slot 401, and an individual image 402 can be inserted into the
image container corresponding to a slot 401.

[0103] FIG. 21 illustrates an exemplary method for simultaneously printing
one or more images onto multiple articles of manufacture, for example
using the printer 100 of FIG. 1A, 1B, or 1C in conjunction with the
carrier assembly 300 of FIGS. 3A-3B. In this method, a pallet 310
implemented according to the principles of the invention, for example a
pallet 310 implemented as in FIGS. 3A-3B, is mounted on a printer
transport mechanism (step 901). A carrier 330 configured to fit over the
pallet 310 such that only the surfaces 315 of the platforms 314 are
exposed through apertures 331 formed therein is positioned in alignment
over the pallet 310 (step 902). Optionally, a positioner 350 configured
to fit over the carrier 330 and pallet 310 combination such that only the
surfaces 315 of the pallet platforms 314 are exposed through apertures
352 formed in the positioner 350 is positioned in alignment over the
carrier 330 (step 903). Articles of manufacture 200 are then loaded onto
the platforms 314 of the pallet 310 in alignment with the platforms 314
(step 904). When the positioner 350 is utilized, each article of
manufacture 200 is fitted in alignment within a respective aperture 352
of the positioner 352 (step 905). The positioner 350 is then removed
(step 906), leaving the articles of manufacture 200 loaded on each of the
pallet platforms 314. The carrier 330 remains in place.

[0104] The printer 100 receives a combination image file 500 containing
individual images to be simultaneously printed onto respective mouse pads
200 loaded onto the pallet assembly 300 (step 907). In an embodiment,
each of the images printed onto each of the articles of manufacture 200
is combined into a single image file such that placement of the
respective image in the image file corresponds to the placement of the
corresponding article of manufacture on the pallet. Thus, given the
combined image file, the printer prints all of the individual images onto
the corresponding articles of manufacture through the printing of a
single combination image file. In other words, the printer itself has no
knowledge that it is printing onto multiple articles of manufacture
versus printing onto one large print substrate.

[0105] The printer 100 prints the individual images contained in the
combination image file 500 onto the multiple articles of manufacture 200
loaded on the pallet 310 (step 908). Upon completion of the print
operation, the carrier 330 with printed mouse pads 200 loaded thereon can
be removed from the pallet 310 by lifting the carrier 330 vertically such
that the carrier apertures 331 clear the alignment pins 326 and platforms
314 (step 909). The loaded carrier 330 can then be transported to a
drying unit 108 or other station for further processing (step 910).

[0106] The pallet assembly 300 and techniques for generating a combination
image file that can be used in conjunction with the pallet assembly 300,
as described herein, have several advantages. First, multiple articles of
manufacture may be simultaneously printed, resulting in savings of time
and operator attention for loading and unloading articles of manufacture
into the printer for printing. Second, any ink that strays from the
articles of manufacture is applied to the carrier and not to the pallet.
The carrier is made from an ink resistant material so that it may be
easily cleaned, thereby preventing residual ink or ink dust from
collecting on newly loaded articles of manufacture. Third, the carrier is
removable, thereby allowing all of the loaded articles of manufacture to
be simultaneously transported and reused in a drying unit 108. Also, the
positioner is removable so that it can be used to quickly place and align
the articles of manufacture on the pallet and then removed to prevent any
ink from transferring to the positioner, and thereby subsequently
preventing transfer of ink or ink dust from printed article of
manufacture to next loaded article of manufacture via the positioner.
Additionally, if an ink bleed area is added to the images to be printed,
the bleed area can be adjusted to minimize the amount of bleed when the
relative misalignment between the printer and pallet assembly is small.

[0107] While an exemplary embodiment of the invention has been discussed,
the described embodiment is to be considered as illustrative rather than
restrictive. The scope of the invention is as indicated in the following
claims and all equivalent methods and systems.